Road pavers are usually employed for producing the subbase layer of roads or squares. They are self-propelled construction machines usually including a machine frame and a traveling mechanism, for example, crawler tracks or wheels. The central part of a road paver is the paving screed, which extends transversely to the working direction of the road paver and is usually arranged at the rear of the road paver. The working direction here is the direction in which the road paver travels when paving a subbase layer in working operation. The paving material, for example asphalt or concrete, is usually stored in a material hopper arranged on the front end of the road paver. From there, the paving material is typically transported through the road paver and to the rear using a longitudinal conveyor device configured, for example, as a scraper belt. Here, a transverse distribution device, for example a screw conveyor, distributes the paving material across the full paving width transversely to the working direction. The road paver then screeds the paving material using its paving screed arranged at the rear, during which process the paving material is typically also compacted by means of compacting devices such as pressure bars or tampers arranged on the paving screed.
Small road pavers constitute a subgroup of road pavers, which also serve to pave paving material, for example, asphalt or similar ground material. Small road paver commonly refers to small road pavers having an operating weight (with empty hopper) of less than 10 t and particularly less than 8 t and/or having a track width of less than or equal to 1,500 mm. Small road pavers are employed for paving ground material, for example in spatially constricted working environments, particularly also inside buildings, and/or at small paving widths, in particular, for example, at an average sidewalk width and/or in a milling track. Such a small road paver is known, for example, by the model designation BF 223C manufactured by the applicant.
The transverse distribution device, which distributes the paving material across the paving width just in front of the paving screed in the working direction, and which is supported at the machine frame via a support housing, is usually configured such that it is height-adjustable. Such height adjustment is employed particularly when paving subbase layers of different thicknesses. For example, the transverse distribution device is usually adjusted vertically downwards farther when thinner subbase layers are being paved than when thicker subbase layers are being paved. To implement this vertical adjustment of the transverse distribution device relative to the machine frame, a height adjustment device is typically provided on the road paver. Thus, on the one hand, the transverse distribution device needs to be attached to the road paver in a height-adjustable manner while, on the other hand, said attachment needs to be sufficiently robust for the transverse distribution device to be able to cope with the oftentimes extremely high paving material throughput for paving.
Generic road pavers with transverse distribution devices are known from the prior art. For example, a road paver having boreholes with different diameters distributed in different patterns at the rear part of the machine frame is known from EP 2 650 439 A2. In this manner, transverse distribution devices of different type series can be used with this road paver. U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,305 B describes a road paver in which the transverse distribution device comprises a shield situated on the front in the working direction, which can be clamped to the machine frame via oblong holes. When this clamp connection is released, the transverse distribution device can be adjusted vertically via a hydraulic cylinder and a separate guide rail. Another road paver with a transverse distribution device is known from EP 1 120 495 A1.
So far, the prior art solutions are disadvantageous in that, due to the different requirements with respect to the fastening of the transverse conveyor device, or the transverse distribution device, to the machine frame of the road paver, the transverse distribution device, i.e., its support housing, is implemented with complicated rails for height adjustment and a plurality of threaded and/or pin connections. When the transverse distribution device needs to be demounted for maintenance works, releasing the several fastening devices and the support in the rails oftentimes requires considerable effort. Moreover, it may be advantageous during operation of the road paver to adjust the clearance of the guide rails in which the transverse distribution device, i.e., the support housing, is guided for height adjustment. Due to the complicated fastening of the respective components to the road paver, this oftentimes necessitates partial demounting of the transverse conveyor device.
An object of the present invention is therefore to propose a solution for fastening of the transverse distribution device to a road paver in a most rapid and simple manner. Said solution should not affect the height adjustment and the reliable support of the transverse distribution device. At the same time, a possibility is to be created to adjust the clearance of the guidance of the height adjustment in a simple manner and without demounting any components.